Whey protein: concentrate, isolate, dosage — how to choose

A tub of whey is 1 kg of powder and a label that rarely tells the same story as the marketing page. This guide gives you the three numbers that actually matter — and saves you from paying for filler.

What European law allows you to say

Unlike most ingredients, protein benefits from health claims officially authorised in the European Union:

• Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass.
• Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
• Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

But you still have to eat enough of it. That is where most people fail, long before the question of which brand to buy.

How much protein a day?

The literature converges around 1.6 to 2 g of protein per kilo of body weight per day for someone doing resistance training. Beyond 2.2 g/kg, additional benefits become very hard to demonstrate.

In practice, for 75 kg: between 120 and 150 g of protein a day. That is the equivalent of six chicken breasts. Across three meals it is achievable but demanding. That is exactly the problem a shake solves: 24 g of protein in 30 g of powder, ready in thirty seconds.

Whey is not magic. It is a logistical shortcut.

Concentrate, isolate, hydrolysate: the real differences

Concentrate

The first filtration stage of whey. It usually runs between 70 and 80 % protein and keeps a little lactose and fat. It is what gives the taste and the creamy texture. It is also the cheapest.

Isolate

Filtration taken further: above 85 % protein, very little lactose or fat. More expensive, “cleaner”, but also thinner in the mouth and less flavourful on its own.

Hydrolysate

Protein pre-cut into shorter chains. Slightly faster absorption, a markedly higher price, and often a bitter taste. For the vast majority of lifters, the premium is not justified.

Our choice: the blend

Our wheys combine concentrate and isolate. The concentrate gives the taste and the texture, the isolate raises the protein content while cutting carbohydrates and fat. Result: 24 g of protein per 30 g serving for the vanilla, 22.8 g for the chocolate, with no added sugar.

The only calculation to do before you buy

Ignore the price per kilo. Do this sum instead: grams of protein per serving ÷ grams of powder per serving.

A tub with 24 g of protein for 30 g of powder is 80 %. A tub with 21 g for 35 g of powder is 60 %: you are paying for 40 % filler. The second can look cheaper per kilo while costing more per gram of protein.

That number is always on the label. When it is hard to find, that is rarely an accident.

The “anabolic window”: what we know today

The thirty-minutes-after-training idea dies hard. The most recent work is far less categorical: what drives protein synthesis is above all the total intake across the day, spread over 3 to 4 servings of roughly 25 to 40 g.

Drinking your shake twenty minutes or two hours after the session changes very little. Missing 40 g of protein across the day does.

In practice: at breakfast if your mornings are short, after training if that suits you better, or as an afternoon snack. One serving in 250 ml of water or milk.

Lactose, digestion, allergens

Whey is a dairy product: it contains milk, and therefore lactose, in varying amounts depending on the concentrate/isolate ratio. If you have a confirmed intolerance, a pure isolate or a plant protein will suit you better.

If a shake sits badly, try it with water rather than milk first, and halve the serving for a few days. The problem is often the amount swallowed at once, not the powder.

And where do EAAs fit in?

Essential amino acids are the building blocks the body cannot make. A complete whey already contains all of them. A product like our orange EAA has a different use: a light drink to sip during the session, without the digestive load of a full shake. It is not a replacement for whey, it is a convenience.

What to remember

• Aim for 1.6 to 2 g of protein per kg of body weight, from all foods combined.
• The concentrate + isolate blend is the best compromise between taste, content and price.
• Work out the protein percentage per serving: it is the only honest number.
• The daily total matters far more than the hour of your shake.

Both our flavours are in the protein range.

Sources

• Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 — the list of authorised health claims, including the three protein claims quoted above.
• EU Register of nutrition and health claims — European Commission. The official database, with the conditions of use for each claim.
• EFSA — Nutrition and health claims — the European authority that scientifically assesses every claim before it is authorised.

Contains milk. Food supplements are no substitute for a varied and balanced diet or a healthy lifestyle.